[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Change of Heart

they also expected too much out of Cervenka

Originally Posted by burnitdown

Are you saying we should temper our expectations when we keep hearing that Karri Ramo is the best goalie not in the NHL?!

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Which is a cautionary tale of just how much better the NHL is than other leagues and being a star in the KHL doesn't mean you will even be a regular in the NHL. That said I wouldn't pass off Cervenka as a failure as I feel with an offseason to move his family over and full training camp we may see a lot more from him next year. If he returns of course.

Originally Posted by Stay Golden

We were also told he was a center, foolish for us to assume Feaster meant a KHL center

Originally Posted by you got PHANUEFED

Ramo is also a Feaster draft pick so that should also set off a light bulb or two right there.

Originally Posted by vilzeh

I'd say Brunner was the "Best player not in the NHL", not Cervenka.

Originally Posted by StrykerSteve

Cervenka has been fine, IMO. Considering the factors, he's performed well.

Originally Posted by dino7c

agreed, he shouldn't have been counted on to be the teams #1 center and that isn't his fault

Originally Posted by Itse

I'm not sure I'd say Cervenka has performed well, but considering everything I'm okay with where he's at right now. Next season is the real measuring stick.

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

Well, strictly speaking he shouldn't have been counted on to be a center at all.

Cervenka is about what I expected him to be. Still might end up going back to Europe. The team was dumb to expect that he'd do anything more and the fact that he wasn't even a center is beyond hilarious.

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Dumb? Hilarious? He was a good player in another league. Why can't he be good here?

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

agreed.

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

No he wasn't. But he has been given a great opportunity in Detroit and he has made the most of it.

Whereas Cervenka got off to a bad start with the blood clot and no training camp, and also hasn't been put in such a great position. So far, he hasn't been able to overcome all that, but he still might,

I would like to see more games and more situations for both of them before making a decision on who's 'better'

Like EE said, let's see what he can do next year when things are more settled.

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

He can, any good player can, I don't dispute that, but the issue is what you can realistically expect, especially in the first season. You can't count on such players to transition. So it was dumb to pencil him in the top-6 when he hadn't played a single game in NA.

Hilarious was the fact that he was thought to be a center but then it turns out he's not comfortable in the position. Again, not his fault, but it's still funny how even high profile European players can be so poorly scouted. Sometimes I think that certain teams would be better off consulting Hfboards - at least there are people who watch these leagues there.

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

I would be very scared if consulting HFBoards gives us better expertise then our paid scouts in the best league outside of the NHL.

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

It's hyperbole, obviously, but I'm not really talking about expertise here. All you needed is a regular fan who knows what position the player prefers.

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Oh come on , Comeau is no slouch

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Top Centre

Originally Posted by BurningSteel

Uhm.......i thought that was Lando immediatly followed by Shanko??

Originally Posted by Stay Golden

that is the truth right there and what will he want for a contract. 3.7m is what he was paid but $925 is the NHL salary. He has shown spots of potential he has also been a liability in other games.They would be foolish to offer more than 2.5m JMO.

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

At this point the "best player not in the NHL" meme is so strong that we basically just tell it to ourselves - and usually it's only evoked to ridicule the notion. It's bizarre.

"I assume there is someone somewhere who called him the best player not in the NHL - ha! What an idiot!"

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

$2.5m sounds a bit high to me (though I would love to see him get it going in the second half and force the Flames to pay him that much).

If it were negotiated right now (which it won't be), I would think $1.25 - $1.5m would be the number.

So, Sven Baerschi?